A buyer's guide to shipping and customs for international art purchases

Short answer: with Limited100, you won't pay anything extra at your door. We now ship Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), meaning import duty and applicable taxes are built into the price you pay at checkout; no courier calling for a surprise customs charge before they'll hand over your print. From the UK, delivery is free domestically and from £19 internationally for a print-only tube (£49 for framed) to the US, Canada, and Mexico, with EU delivery typically arriving in as little as 2 working days. The rest of this guide explains how customs actually works generally, so you understand what's being handled on your behalf.

What "customs costs" actually cover

International orders can attract up to three separate charges beyond the shipping fee itself, and it helps to know which is which:

• Import duty - a tariff based on what the item is and where it's made, calculated as a percentage of its declared value. Original artworks and limited edition prints are often classified in a way that carries 0% duty in many countries, but this depends on correct customs classification, not on the item simply being "art."
• VAT, GST, or sales tax - a consumption tax charged by your own country on the import, separate from any duty. Unlike duty, this is charged in almost every country regardless of what the item is.
• Brokerage or handling fees - a charge from the courier (DHL, UPS, FedEx, etc.) for processing the customs paperwork.

With a typical international order from a UK seller, these charges are collected from the buyer by the courier on delivery - often the first time anyone finds out what they actually owe. Limited100 ships DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) instead, which means we calculate and pay these charges as part of fulfilling your order, and they're built into what you pay at checkout. Nobody knocks on your door asking for more money before handing over the print.

What's actually involved, by region

You won't need to pay any of the following yourself; this is what we're accounting for behind the scenes when we quote and ship DDP, useful context if you're curious what goes into landed cost, or comparing us to a seller who doesn't ship this way.

United States

The US has no federal VAT, so the two things that apply are customs duty and, in many states, sales tax collected separately. Original prints and limited editions are often classified duty-free under US tariff codes for fine art, but as of 2025–2026, the US has also applied a separate country-of-origin tariff surcharge on top of standard customs duty for goods from most countries, including the UK, under authority tracked in official US Customs and Border Protection guidance. That surcharge has changed rate and legal basis more than once in the past year, including a scheduled expiry in late July 2026 whose outcome isn't yet settled as this is written. Rather than quote a number likely to be wrong within weeks, the practical guidance is: check the current landed cost with your courier, or ask us directly; we track this closely given how much of our business ships to the US.

European Union

VAT is charged from the first euro; the EU removed its low-value VAT exemption back in 2021, so there's no minimum threshold below which VAT doesn't apply. Customs duty has, until now, generally been waived on shipments valued under roughly €150, but that's changing. In November 2025, EU member states agreed to remove the €150 duty exemption threshold entirely, with the change taking effect during 2026 and a new e-commerce handling fee arriving from November 2026, ahead of a fuller customs system overhaul due by mid-2028. In practice, this means duty may start applying to lower-value EU shipments that would previously have been exempt; another area, alongside US tariffs, where the underlying rules are shifting through 2026. The rate depends on your country (Germany's standard VAT rate is 19%, for example), and some countries apply reduced rates to qualifying original or limited edition artworks under specific conditions. Shipping from the UK into the EU is handled with full Brexit-compliant customs paperwork prepared in advance, and typically arrives within 2 working days via DHL.

Canada

GST of 5% applies federally on import, but what's added on top depends on which province the buyer is in. Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island charge a combined Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) instead of GST alone, typically 13–15% depending on the province. British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, and Saskatchewan charge GST plus a separate Provincial Sales Tax (PST). Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon charge GST only, with no additional provincial tax. There's a CAD$20 exemption threshold below which GST isn't charged at all on mailed goods, per the Canada Border Services Agency, though that's well below typical art print values. Duty itself is often 0% for correctly classified original prints, consistent with US and EU treatment.

Australia

GST of 10% applies to goods imported into Australia in effect regardless of value, but the mechanism for collecting it changes at the AUD$1,000 mark, per the Australian Taxation Office. Below AUD$1,000, the overseas seller is generally responsible for collecting GST at the point of sale rather than it being assessed at the border. Above AUD$1,000, GST and any customs duty are assessed together when the goods are formally imported. Customs duty itself is typically waived for goods valued at or below AUD$1,000, and original or limited edition prints are commonly duty-free above that threshold too, subject to correct classification.

New Zealand

The UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement eliminates customs duty entirely on qualifying UK-originating exports to New Zealand, so correctly documented UK-made prints should already clear duty-free on that basis alone, separate from the general duty-free treatment original art often receives anyway. GST is a flat 15% and applies to imports regardless of value, per New Zealand Customs, but how it's collected depends on value, similarly to Australia. For goods valued at NZ$1,000 or under, the overseas supplier is expected to register with NZ Inland Revenue and collect GST directly if their sales to New Zealand consumers exceed NZ$60,000 a year; above NZ$1,000, GST and any duty are collected at the border instead.

Figures correct as of July 2026 and provided for general orientation only, not tax or customs advice. Limited100 ships DDP, so duty and tax shown above are paid on your behalf and built into checkout pricing, not charged separately on delivery. Underlying rates, particularly US tariffs and the EU's e-commerce threshold, are subject to change.

Why classification matters more than you'd think

Whether a car print enters duty-free or not usually comes down to correct customs classification, not simply what the object is. Original engravings, prints, and lithographs typically fall under codes that carry 0% duty in most major markets, but that classification depends on the shipment being correctly described and documented as a genuine limited edition, not a generic reproduction. This is one of the reasons certificates of authenticity and clear numbering (1 of 100, etc.) matter beyond their collector value; they're part of what supports the correct customs treatment on the way in.

Framed prints and customs value

A framed print's declared customs value covers the whole shipped item; print, mount, glazing, and frame together, not just the artwork. Since frames add material cost, a framed piece typically has a higher declared value than the same print unframed, which can occasionally shift it across a duty or handling threshold that the unframed version would sit under. If minimising import charges matters more to you than receiving it ready to hang, ordering print-only and framing locally is worth considering, though for anything travelling any distance, professional framing on arrival adds its own cost and risk of a mismatch to what you had in mind.

What this means practically, ordering from Limited100

• The price at checkout is the price you pay. No courier calling before delivery asking for duty or tax before they'll release your print, that's already been calculated and paid on your behalf.
• Provide accurate contact and delivery information at checkout. Even with duty pre-paid, couriers still need correct details to clear customs efficiently and avoid delivery delays.
• Keep your order confirmation. If anything unexpected does happen with a specific courier or country, having your order details to hand makes it fast for us to sort out on your behalf.
• Ask us directly if you want the full picture before ordering. If you're curious what duty and tax would have applied without DDP - useful if you're comparing sellers, we're happy to walk through it.

Frequently asked questions

Will I have to pay customs on an art print shipped from the UK?

Not with Limited100. From July 2026 we ship Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), so any import duty and applicable tax is already factored into the price you pay at checkout. Generally speaking, though, duty is often 0% for correctly classified original limited edition prints, while VAT, GST, or sales tax applies in most destinations regardless of duty status; this is the calculation we're doing on your behalf.

Does Limited100 include customs and duty in the price?

Yes. We ship DDP, meaning import duty and tax are calculated and paid as part of fulfilling your order, built into what you pay at checkout. You shouldn't be asked for anything further by the courier before delivery.

How much does international shipping cost from Limited100?

UK delivery is free. Shipments to the US, Canada, and Mexico start from £19 for a print-only tube and £49 for a framed piece. EU deliveries typically arrive within 2 working days via DHL, with Brexit-compliant paperwork handled in advance - we send all required paperwork electronically to the courier.

Why does customs treatment depend on whether something is "original" or a "reproduction"?

Most countries apply favourable duty treatment to original artworks and genuine limited editions, but not to generic reproduction prints. Correct classification and documentation; including numbering and certificates of authenticity - support the print being treated as a genuine limited edition at the border.

Are US tariffs on UK goods still 10%?

As of when this was last checked (July 2026), UK-origin goods have been subject to a 10% country-of-origin surcharge for most of the past year, but this specific measure had a scheduled expiry in late July 2026 with the outcome unresolved at time of writing. This is genuinely one of the fastest-moving areas of trade policy right now; check current rates with your courier or a customs broker rather than relying on a fixed number here.

Is the EU removing its duty-free threshold for art purchases?

Yes. In November 2025, EU member states agreed to remove the long-standing €150 customs duty exemption for goods entering from outside the EU, with the change taking effect during 2026 and a new e-commerce handling fee following from November 2026. VAT already applied from any value regardless of this threshold, so the practical change is that duty may now apply to lower-value shipments that were previously exempt. With Limited100, this doesn't change what you pay; it's absorbed into DDP pricing.